Senior AI Scientist

This job posting is anticipated to remain open for 30 days, from 28-Sep-2026. The posting may close early due to the volume of applicants.

Join a financial services firm where your contributions are valued. Edward Jones is a Fortune 500¹ company where people come first. With over 9 million clients and 20,000 financial advisors across the U.S. and Canada, we’re proud to be privately-owned, placing the focus on our clients rather than shareholder returns.

Behind everything we do is our purpose: We partner for positive impact to improve the lives of our clients and colleagues, and together, better our communities and society. We are an innovative, flexible, and inclusive organization that attracts, develops, and inspires performance excellence and a sense of belonging.

People are at the center of our partnership. Edward Jones associates are seen, heard, respected, and supported. This is what we believe makes us the best place to start or build your career.

View our Purpose, Inclusion and Citizenship Report .

¹Fortune 500, published June 2024, data as of December 2023. Compensation provided for using, not obtaining, the rating.

Are you energized by solving complex problems where the answer isn’t obvious? Do you want to build AI systems that influence decisions at enterprise scale? Are you excited about turning cutting-edge AI into real business impact? If so, this could be the role for you.

As part of the AI, Data, and Emerging Technology Lab within Edward Jones (EJ Labs), you’ll help shape how AI is applied across the firm—building reusable products and platforms that power enterprise decision-making. EJ Labs focuses on translating emerging technologies into practical, scalable solutions that drive growth, efficiency, and client outcomes.

As a Senior AI Scientist, you’ll operate at the intersection of advanced analytics, engineering, and business strategy. You’ll design and deliver production-grade AI capabilities that tackle ambiguous, high-stakes problems—supporting decisions that impact tens of millions of households and more than $2 trillion in assets. This is an opportunity to build durable systems, influence how the firm prioritizes and serves clients, and elevate how modern AI is applied in financial services.

What You’ll Do

• Solve complex, constrained business problems using advanced algorithms and sound judgment to design effective, scalable solutions
• Design and build custom AI and machine learning models and systems, going beyond off-the-shelf approaches to create novel capabilities
• Own solutions end-to-end—from problem framing and model development through deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement
• Translate technical insights into clear, compelling narratives that influence business decisions and drive measurable impact
• Operate effectively with imperfect and incomplete data, making pragmatic trade-offs while clearly communicating assumptions, risks, and limitations
• Apply strong engineering and data practices, including data pipelines, SQL optimization, version control (Git), testing, CI/CD, and production monitoring
• Build and deploy solutions in modern cloud and distributed environments (Databricks)
• Mentor and elevate others by sharing expertise, improving practices, and raising the bar for technical excellence
• Partner across business, analytics, and technology teams to align solutions with enterprise priorities
• Manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously, balancing speed, rigor, and business impact with minimal oversight

What You’ll Work On / Immediate Impact

• Building AI-powered decisioning systems that inform enterprise strategy and client outcomes
• Developing reusable AI products and platforms to accelerate adoption across the firm
• Designing solutions that leverage advanced analytics, machine learning, and emerging AI capabilities (including GenAI and agentic systems)
• Scaling data science solutions into robust, production-ready systems used across the business
• Shaping how the firm uses AI to plan, prioritize, and deliver value to clients at scale

What You'll Need

• 9+ years of experience delivering applied data science solutions in real-world environments, including taking work from concept through production
• Advanced degree (MS required, PhD preferred) in a quantitative field
• Proven track record of solving ambiguous, high-impact business problems requiring custom solution design
• Demonstrated ability to drive adoption and influence decisions, ensuring work leads to measurable outcomes
• Strong programming skills (Python) with the ability to write production-quality code and mentor others
• Deep expertise in statistical modeling and at least two of: ML, AI, GenAI, Optimization, and agentic systems
• Experience with large-scale data and distributed compute environments including Databricks
• Strong foundation in data systems and software development practices, including pipelines, testing, and maintainable codebases
• Demonstrated ability to learn continuously, innovate, and operate in ambiguous environments while bringing others along

What Sets You Apart

• Experience building custom AI solutions in complex or regulated environments.
• Strong ability to bridge advanced technical work with real business impact.
• Passion for developing reusable, scalable AI capabilities—not just one-off models
• Track record of influencing senior stakeholders through data-driven storytelling
• A mindset focused on ownership, curiosity, and continuous improvement.

Candidates that live within a commutable distance from our Tempe, AZ and St. Louis, MO home office locations are expected to work in the office four days per week.

At Edward Jones, we are building a place where everyone feels like they belong. We're proud of our associates' contributions to the firm and the recognitions we have received.

Check out our U.S. awards and accolades: Insights & Information Blog Postings about Edward Jones

Check out our Canadian awards and accolades: Insights & Information Blog Postings about Edward Jones

Edward Jones does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Edward Jones' compensation and benefits package includes medical and prescription drug, dental, vision, voluntary benefits (such as accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness), short- and long-term disability, basic life, and basic AD&D coverage. Short- and long-term disability, basic life, and basic AD&D coverage are provided at no cost to associates. Edward Jones offers a 401k retirement plan, and tax-advantaged accounts: health savings account, and flexible spending account. Edward Jones observes ten paid holidays and provides 15 days of vacation for new associates beginning on January 1 of each year, as well as sick time, personal days, and a paid day for volunteerism. Associates may be eligible for bonuses and profit sharing. All associates are eligible for the firm's Employee Assistance Program. For more information on the Benefits available to Edward Jones associates, please visit our benefits page .